50 Years Later, Enfield Golfer Recalls Inaugural Julius Boros Event

ENFIELD, CT — On Thursday morning, 32 of the best amateur and professional golfers from throughout Connecticut will tee it up at New Haven Country Club in the annual Julius Boros Challenge Cup. Named for arguably the greatest player to hail from the Nutmeg State, the event started a half-century ago in 1972, and features 2-man teams from the Connecticut State Golf Association competing against duos from the Connecticut Section PGA.

The first golfer ever inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame was a member of the amateur squad at the initial playing of the Challenge Cup at Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield. As an 18-year-old fresh off being in the first graduating class from Enrico Fermi High School, Bob Linn tied for second in the 1972 Connecticut Open, earning a spot on the CSGA team. 50 years later, he recalled the excitement of playing alongside some of the top golfers in the state, including Dave Maloney, Stan Hilinski, Duane Haley and 2-time British Amateur champion and Walker Cup captain Dick Siderowf.

"It was quite an honor," Linn said Tuesday during his daily routine of practicing on the Grassmere Country Club putting green. "I was the youngest on the team at 18, and I would have to consider myself the weakest player on the team. I played two matches paired with Paul Ryiz [a longtime PGA club pro and 2016 inductee into the Connecticut Section PGA Hall of Fame]."

Linn, who turned 68 last week, took up the game at age 10, and experienced success throughout his scholastic days at Enfield and Fermi high schools. He then enrolled at Central Connecticut State College, where he had a short stay alongside some other top players under legendary coach Lowell Lukas.

"Ryiz and John Nowobilski were already there, and Dave Szewczul went there the same year I did," he recalled. "They all lasted, but it was about three weeks before I decided I didn't want to go to school. I was trying to go to school, work and play golf all at the same time."

In the mid-1970s, he stopped playing regularly, but began competing again in 1979 at the urging of his wife, Judy.

“One day that spring, I was going outside to mow the lawn, and my wife said, ‘I’ll do that. Why don’t you go play golf?’,” he said in 2004, during his acceptance speech upon his induction into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame. “Well, the next thing I knew it was September, the yard was full of leaves, and I still had a lot of golf to play … so I had to buy her a rake.”

Linn has played in three prestigious national championships — the 1984 U.S. Amateur in Edmond, Okla., the 1985 U.S. Public Links in Lihue, Hawaii, and the 2009 U.S. Senior Amateur in Chicago. On each occasion, he won medalist honors at the local or regional qualifiers in his first attempt.

Currently a member of the Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield, Mass., the retiree from Ahlstrom Windsor Locks won five club championships at Cedar Knob Golf Course in Somers. He also coached golf at Ellington High School, leading the team to the North Central Connecticut Conference championship in 1992.

He still plays regularly, and has his eyes set on the U.S. Amateur qualifier July 12 at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, site of his Connecticut Open runner-up finish.

"It took me about two seconds to decide to enter," he said. "I haven't seen the place since 50 years ago, and I really can't wait to go."

The CSGA has won the last four Julius Boros Challenge Cup events, but the PGA holds a 34-16 lifetime advantage. The CSGA roster includes Brian Ahern (Wampanoag CC), Eric Bleile (eClub of Connecticut), Ben Conroy (New Haven CC), Nick Cook (Tashua Knolls GC), Ben Day (CC of Waterbury), Rick Dowling (Golf Performance Center), Patrick Griffin (Chippanee CC), Rick Hayes (Silver Spring CC), Cody Paladino (Hartford GC), Jamie Sheltman (Wallingford CC), Brett Shulick (Great River GC), Nick Waddington (Manchester CC), Bill Hermanson (Black Hall Club)*, Dave Jones (Mohegan Sun GC)*, Donal Reilly (H. Smith Richardson GC)* and Dick Stevens (eClub of Connecticut)*. Members of the Connecticut Section PGA roster are Jordan Gosler (Manchester CC), Michael Jezierski (Raceway GC), Brian Keiser (Longmeadow CC), CJ Konkowski (Hartford GC), Brad Lusenhop (CC of Waterbury), Kevin Mahaffy (Pequabuck GC), Bob Mucha (Edgewood GC), Ronnie Pfaeffklin (Norfolk GC), William Street (Whitney Farms GC), Chris Tallman (Orchards GC), William Wallis (New Haven CC), Jan Wivestad (Northeast Performance Institute), Joe Cordani (Hop Meadow CC)*, Jason Gobleck (Golf Performance Center at Lyman Orchards)*, Fran Marrello (PGA Life Member)* and Mike Martin (Tashua Knolls GC)*. (* - denotes senior players).

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